Actually, I haven't heard too many conservatives complain about the divisions and polarization in our country--they seem to know that liberals are feeling some guilt and anxiety about the wars, the border, and abortion available to the last day, and THAT's causing them to see a profound chasm of the Democrats own creation. It's not the party they signed on to 30-40 years ago, nor the party I left almost 25 years ago. It's not for me to close the gap or wave the white flag.
Wednesday, January 31, 2024
Depolarization of Christians during this political climate
Actually, I haven't heard too many conservatives complain about the divisions and polarization in our country--they seem to know that liberals are feeling some guilt and anxiety about the wars, the border, and abortion available to the last day, and THAT's causing them to see a profound chasm of the Democrats own creation. It's not the party they signed on to 30-40 years ago, nor the party I left almost 25 years ago. It's not for me to close the gap or wave the white flag.
Sunday, January 28, 2024
Congregational meeting and Dave Mann's retirement
"The day began with an all-school worship service. I was privileged to give the message. It was not difficult to find the word that would be right – Ours is a God who knows how to transform evil into good. The story of Joseph which is a key piece of my Bible curriculum in the 10th and 11th grades demonstrates this teaching. As I began to quote Genesis 50:20, many of the students completed the verse with me aloud. And, of course, the cross of Jesus is the ultimate proof that our God is a redeemer. Joseph’s story was not finished when he was in prison. Jesus’ story was not finished in the tomb. Haiti’s story was not finished on January 12th. Our story is not finished today. Our God will have the last word.""On Easter Sunday 2018 Dave preached and told this story about John and Ali which I recorded in my blog.
"John was having a very busy day, and he passed a black man on Route 23 going north who’d had a flat tire and was attempting to flag someone down. John felt the Lord tap his shoulder but proceeded on as he had a busy schedule. Then he felt a firmer tap, so he turned around to help the stranded motorist. Not only was the tire flat, it was ruined. Not only was it ruined, but the man, Ali, had no money. So John paid for the tire himself, and then installed it for Ali. When they were finished, Ali told him he’d been waiting for two hours and no one had stopped, so why did John stop? “Because I serve the King,” John told him. Then Ali said, he’d like to know about this King that John served. Last Easter Ali was baptized a Christian and joined our Lutheran church. Dave told him that he would experience rejection and even hate from his Muslim community, but God’s love, through John had touched him and he came to know the living Lord."
Thursday, January 25, 2024
Swamped by e-mail and Ben Sira
Recently my book club read "Sisters of Sinai" which I liked so I bought a used copy (so I could check the bibliography) because I was interested in Ben Sira (Sirach, Ecclesiasticus). The Scottish twin sisters finding a scrap of Ben Sira manuscript in Hebrew in Egypt in 1896 was one of the most important Biblical discoveries in recent time, right up there with the Dead Sea Scrolls. After checking the internet, I signed up for something called Academia which is open access for academic papers so a reader can browse and download. There are many others that aggregate publications like SSRN which I've used, and even Ohio State has one called Knowledge Bank. On my first try, I found over 124,000 papers written about Ben Sira. Now I'm getting inquiries from this service about updating to premium and have I considered reading paper xyz. I also bought a few other books through ABE, and I get not only notices about where they are in transit, but wouldn't I like to try this or that book. So you see, it's my own fault.
Wednesday, January 24, 2024
A beautiful duck
We have a page a day calendar of birds on our kitchen table. Today I said, Mandarin Duck, that's the most beautiful bird I've ever seen. So I looked it up in birdsfact.com and it said, "It is the most beautiful duck in the world in comparison to other species of ducks." https://birdsfact.com/mandarin-duck/
A Mandarin Duck Somehow Found Its Way To Central Park (thethings.com)
8 Fascinating Facts about Mandarin Ducks- The Symbolic Ducks in Korean Weddings | Nature World News
Tuesday, January 23, 2024
Inflation 1973-2023 in my recipe box
Some on FB are old enough to remember the nightmare of stagflation of the 1970s--high inflation, high unemployment, and low growth. In 1973 the average rate of inflation for food prices was over 13%. In August 1973 when I noted the prices, the food inflation rate was 18.2%! That may be why I noted the costs on the card. Compare that to 2023 food prices which was 5.8% for the year. The killer rate we all remember (and blame Biden for) was about 10% for 2022. I blame this primarily on the lockdown which really messed up all levels of the economy as well as health.
Monday, January 22, 2024
The Mentor magazine
"The Mentor magazine was published from 1913 to about 1931 by The Mentor Association. The Association was founded by William David Moffat in 1912 and included experts in various fields. Each issue was devoted to a single subject augmented by fine photogravures (photogravures are prints produced in such a way as to mimic the richness and subtle range of tone found in photographs). . . http://archives.dyclibrary.net/?p=206
Over reach of regulatory agencies--the deep state
A system in place for decades has governed how judges review curbs on air and water pollution, gun safety measures and workplace protections. But conservative legal foundations and business groups have urged the court to scrap that system, arguing it hands too much power to federal agencies at the expense of Congress and the judiciary.
Several of the court's conservative justices expressed deep skepticism of the current framework. But all three left-leaning justices offered support for keeping the system in place. And Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a Trump appointee, raised concerns about "inviting a flood of litigation" if they reversed course."
Supreme Court hears arguments in a case that could weaken federal rulemaking : NPR
Daily Signal--conservative: "The U.S. Supreme Court took up two cases Wednesday regarding the regulatory authority of the federal government as fishermen argue that government agencies are exceeding their authority by imposing costly mandates.
In Loper Bright Enterprises vs. Raimondo and Relentless Inc. vs. Department of Commerce, fishermen are challenging administrative law, dubbed “Chevron deference,” that asserts that when a federal statute is ambiguous about specific regulations, courts should defer to the implementing agency’s interpretation of the law.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration implemented a rule in 2020 forcing fishing companies (such as Relentless Inc.) to pay for federal observers to monitor the fishermen at sea on their own fishing boats—even though Congress did not give the agency authority to do so."
https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/01/17/supreme-court-hears-fishermens-challenges-to-costly-regulatory-authority-of-feds/?
NJB opinion: Both Democrats and Republicans lean heavily on long-time bureaucrats to carry out their agendas, however Democrats also have the power of academe in their corner. Few conservatives can even get hired at major, powerful universities, let along make it through P & T. That limits their ability to get past the gatekeepers at the journals and print media. So we have the revolving door of CDC, FAA, EPA, FTC, FCC, FDA CFPB, etc. plus all the "tools" and "acts" and lobbyists and union leaders who control these groups. The liberal media are screaming that the SCOTUS could "gut" or "strangle" these agencies. Without ever mentioning the constitution. Or what's happening to us, the citizen/voter.
Sunday, January 21, 2024
The goal of modern day "Progressives"
Indeed, the total negation of traditional Western man is the goal of modern-day “progressives” who in their Nietzschean Will to Power, seek the destruction of Christianity, family, and gender through various ideologies and in illusory calls for “social justice.” Dawson incisively describes how, even in our day, revolutionary and scientific ideologies are influenced, often indirectly and unconsciously, by the spirit of Western religion.
We in the West have become detached from our religious culture and our Western moral tradition. Dawson once observed, “It is religious impulse which supplies the cohesive force which unifies a society and culture. . . .A society which has lost its religion becomes sooner or later a society which has lost its culture.”
Saturday, January 20, 2024
New York's immigration crisis
Thursday, January 18, 2024
Beth Moore doesn't like President Trump or the people who support him
So, she says he's a bully. Shocking, Name me a president, king, monarch, tribal leader, premier, governor, senator, school principal, union leader who isn't at some time during their career as a leader had to be decisive, blunt, argumentative, aggressive, etc. True, he doesn't talk like a lady, "Maybe I'm wrong, but. . ." (I hate it when women start a sentence with that.) Ms. Flotus Obama is back in the spotlight as a possible candidate and she expresses fear; VP Harris is stumping for Biden and she says she's scared to death. Boy, that should really build up the lady parts.
But Moore needs to remember who supported the unborn when in office, not by sending a sub, but by showing up. Who said America is Great? Moore needs to recall under which president minorities made REAL financial and career progress, not with CRT and appointments to DEI but with actual gains and real jobs; which president did the most for Israel; Moore needs to comfort a mother or wife who has lost their children or husband in wars and think about Trump's position. Do you think Putin would have attacked Ukraine if Trump had a 2nd term? Did Trump fund the Taliban or Iran?
Moore has experienced a lot of lies told by the "other" side and the "good old boys" in Evangelicalism. Now she should recall from whom she gets her information--the mainstream media, the non-profits who are profiting from the border crisis, the DNC, the View, the Obiden puppeteers.
Come on, Beth. Do your homework--you certainly asked us to do that for years! You've become rich and famous with those books. If DeSantis or Haley had won that Iowa Caucus, the people you are trusting to form your opinion would be claiming them to be racist, sexist, homophobes who don't believe in pronouns and the right to choose your sex. They would still be denouncing Christianity and the Constitution.
Wednesday, January 17, 2024
The "Defenders of Democracy" aka Democrats are at it again
Flying is safer than driving
There were 614 serious injuries in the air from 2002 to 2020, an average of 32 per year. Comparatively, Americans suffered about 2.3 million injuries per year in passenger cars and trucks on highways."
Per mile motorcycles are the most dangerous, however, in my opinion, no matter how you travel you are not safe with the latest DEI standards for employment --whether pilots, bus drivers, repairmen, or factory assembly workers. You don't want a diversity hire or union boss guiding your transportation. Merit and skill matter more than ethnic background.
In 2020 although there was a decrease in miles traveled due to the lockdown, there was an increase in pedestrian and bike related fatalities. Another problem our "health" experts didn't think about.
Tuesday, January 16, 2024
Low back strain
From WebMD Low Back Strain Causes, Treatments, Exercises, Prevention (webmd.com)
So what is low back strain? A series of muscles and ligaments in your back hold the bones of your spinal column in place. You can strain these muscles by stretching them too far, causing tiny tears in the tissue. The muscles are then weakened, so they may not be able to hold the bones of your spinal column in place correctly. The spine becomes less stable, causing low back pain.
And because nerves stretch out from the spinal cord throughout the entire body, low back strain can cause pain in areas other than your back.
Low back strain can be caused by:
- Extreme physical exertion.
- Falling.
- Bending or crouching repeatedly.
- Lifting heavy objects if you are not in shape.
It can also be caused by emotional stress, improper posture, being overweight, out of shape, or sitting in the same position for long periods of time. Even a severe cough can result in low back strain.
Ten degrees and cold, but thankful
Monday, January 15, 2024
What is Woke?
Where Woke REALLY Comes From - Richard Hanania (youtube.com)
00:00 Introduction00:32 The Definition of Woke 04:33 Are Conspiring or Well-Meaning People at It’s Roots? 08:02 How is Wokeness Affecting Law in America? 11:20 The Impact of Social Media on the Woke Movement 17:12 How Can Legal Quotas Be Filled in Certain Sectors? 19:30 Does Disparity Equal Discrimination? 23:17 Can Reparation Ever Be Made for Historical Guilt? 27:45 Fixing the Civil Rights Laws 31:53 Why Haven't Past Republican Presidents Tackled These Issues? 35:52 Have We Reached Peak Woke? 41:49 Richard's Past Writings and Views 47:05 Is the Backlash Worse than the Woke People? 52:38 Richard's Take on the Palestinian/Israeli Conflict 1:00:12 What's the One Thing We're Not Talking About?
Sunday, January 14, 2024
Cairo Genizah and the Wisdom of Ben Sira
The book of Ecclesiasiticus (church book) also called Sirach or Wisdom of Ben Sira is part of the Catholic, Orthodox, Syriac Peshitta, Coptic and African canons, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church with 81 books. It does not appear in the Protestant canon, having been removed during the Reformation. Although I've enjoyed reading Sirach when it appears as part of the liturgy, I didn't know about its discovery in Hebrew in 1896 until our book club read Sisters of Sinai, How Two Lady Adventurers Discovered the Hidden Gospels by Janet Soskice (2009).
https://youtu.be/mSVPUU8unms?si=xgFChUUoM_UOb369 Sisters of Sinai - Janet Soskice on Scottish Twins Agnes Lewis & Margaret Gibson YouTube lecture
"Ben Sira is part of what is known as the Apocrypha—works of Jewish wisdom that were not included in the 24 Books of the Hebrew Bible. In fact, it was when two sisters, Agnes Lewis and Margaret Gibson, found a piece of Hebrew Ben Sirah (which they could not identify) that scholars realized what a treasure the Geniza was. This work—quoted numerous times by the Sages—had only survived in Greek. Thanks to the Geniza (and the Dead Seas Scrolls), at least six sections of Ben Sira in Hebrew have been rediscovered."
The Cairo Genizah - Its History and Importance - Chabad.org
The Book of Sirach - Intro (youtube.com) Ben Sira
How the wisdom of Ben Sira has impacted the church (Sirach, Ecclesiasticus, Apocrypha) (youtube.com)
Ben Sira (also known as Sirach or Ecclesiasticus) is one of our most important sources of ancient Hebrew literature. It is also one of 7 books that belong to the Apocrypha/Deuterocanonical books of the Bible. This great source from second temple Judaism has played an important role to the Christianity since the early church. Our guest, Peter Beckman, is completing his PhD at Saint Paul University in Ottawa, Ontario and is a pastor at a Lutheran church. We discuss a number of topics * The placement (or lack thereof) of Ben Sira in the biblical canon * The different names for the book and what they show * The author of Ben Sira * The differences between the Hebrew and Greek versions * The purpose, style, and message of the book of Ben Sira * The unique prologue to the Greek version of Ben Sira * How Ben Sira navigates challenges that people of faith deal with today * How Ben Sira interprets Scripture * The “canon consciousness” of Ben Sira * We have a little debate about literacy and the target audience of Ben Sira * How has the book of Ben Sira been used in the church throughout history up to today in different denominations * How all wisdom should lead to worship and prayer
https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/bibliographies/genizah/search?query=2665&queryType=TITLEID Palestinian Syriac texts : from palimpsest fragments in the Taylor-Schechter collection, Cambridge Digital Library"The known and published textual witnesses of Ben Sira in Hebrew are as follows: the five manuscripts discovered in the Cairo Genizah, beginning in 1896; the Ben Sira Scroll from Masada, discovered in 1964; fragments of Ben Sira found in two caves at Qumran (cave 2 and cave 11); quotations from Ben Sira scattered throughout the talmudic and midrashic literature; and the ancient Greek and Syriac translations.
In 1982, another manuscript from the Cairo Genizah was discovered by the Hungarian scholar Alexander Scheiber in the Taylor-Schechter Genizah Collection (Additional Series) at Cambridge. Scheiber published the manuscript in a Hungarian journal that was not generally accessible to
the scholarly community.4 He identified the new manuscript as belonging to the same source as that of MS D from the Cairo Genizah. . . . Di Lella’s conclusion is that this is a totally new Genizah manuscript of Ben Sira, which he designates MS F. (Linguistic Innovations in Ben Sira Manuscript F. by Haim Dihi, Hebrew in the Second Temple Period; The Hebrew of the Dead Sea Scrolls and of Other Contemporary Sources, 2013) Linguistic Innovation in Ben Sira Manuscript F | HAIM DIHI - Academia.edu
Saturday, January 13, 2024
FBI Undercover assets or enemies
“We believe that there were easily 200 FBI undercover assets operating in the crowd, outside the Capitol, embedded into groups that entered the Capitol or provoked entry of the Capitol,” Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., said. " (Daily Signal)
Let's assume they were working on intelligence, and intended to STOP a riot and protect the Capitol. They FAILED. So let's look at plan B. They infiltrated a small group to make it worse by inciting them to riot and encouraging them in order to make Trump supporters look bad. They succeeded.
So, let's look at other riots during the Trump administration, like George Floyd in 2020. Those riots were infiltrated by large numbers of undercover assets, because they have informants in every special interest group. Did the government operatives fail or succeed? In the process, many black neighborhoods were torched and black businesses destroyed. Many people were killed or injured in the riots. Insurance companies will be reluctant to serve those areas. People will move out. But it gained huge sympathy for black radicals and launched a sympathy vote and defund police campaign. The founders of BLM sucked in millions in donations. Success comes in many flavors.
Arrived and it's really cold today
Friday, January 12, 2024
A review of the lies and censorship of the last four years
Biden's lies about George Washington and Democracy
**A constitutional republic is a form of government in which the head of the state, as well as other officials, are elected by the country’s citizens to represent them. Those representatives must then follow the rules of that country’s constitution in governing their people. Like the U.S. government, a constitutional republic may consist of three branches – executive, judicial, and legislative – which divide the power of the government so that no one branch becomes too powerful.
An analysis of his campaign speech at Valley Forge can be found at thepublicsquare.com .
All reactions:1Sue
Thursday, January 11, 2024
Scams are every where
This morning I received via e-mail:
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You may need to upó †šó †šdató †šó †še your pó †šó †šaymó †šó †šent details though – Click the button below and follow the on-screen instructions"
It's a mess to clean up, and they move faster than we can to correct it. There are bad people out there, and they aren't all in D.C.
Tuesday, January 09, 2024
Fourteen Trillion
So much of this was unnecessary. Too many ignorant people were given an enormous amount of power. What can we do to prevent it from happening again.
A Slavery Teaching Act named for Kamala Harris
The requirements include teaching which "political parties supported slavery," something its authors argue is currently ignored in most curriculums." Of course, that would be the truth about the Democrat Party's involvement in keeping black Americans down. Through the Civil War, KKK, Jim Crow, right up to the 60s and the Civil Rights Act--which wouldn't have passed without Republican support.
And if it were me, I'd add the truth about how Planned Parenthood, a campaign front for Democrats, has killed generations of black citizens through abortion campaigning.
Monday, January 08, 2024
Sensible advice to share--Depression tips
DEPRESSION TIPS:
Shower. Not a bath, a shower.
Use water as hot or cold as you like. You don’t even need to wash. Just get in under the water and let it run over you for a while. Sit on the floor if you gotta.
Moisturize everything.
Use whatever lotion you like.
Unscented? Dollar store lotion? Fancy 48 hour lotion that makes you smell like a field of wildflowers? Use whatever you want, and use it all over your entire dermis.
Put on clean, comfortable clothes.
Put on your favorite underwear.
Those ridiculous boxers you bought last Christmas with candy cane hearts on the butt? Put them on.
Drink cold water.
Use ice. If you want, add some mint or lemon for an extra boost.
Clean something.
Doesn’t have to be anything big. Organize one drawer of a desk. Wash five dirty dishes. Do a load of laundry. Scrub the bathroom sink.
Blast music.
Listen to something upbeat and dancy and loud, something that’s got lots of energy. Sing to it, dance to it, even if you suck at both.
Make food.
Don’t just grab a granola bar to munch. Take the time and make food. Even if it’s ramen. Add something special to it, like a soft boiled egg or some veggies. Prepare food, it tastes way better, and you’ll feel like you accomplished something.
Make something.
Write a short story or a poem, draw a picture, color a picture, fold origami, crochet or knit, sculpt something out of clay, anything artistic. Even if you don’t think you’re good at it. Create.
Go outside.
Take a walk. Bundle up if you have too. Listen to whatever birds winter where you are, watch the squirrels, admire whatever lights are in the trees. Go to the mailbox, send a letter, a bill, a card.
Call someone.
Call a loved one, a friend, a family member, call a chat service if you have no one else to call. Talk to a stranger on the street. Have a conversation and listen to someone’s voice. If you can’t bring yourself to call, text or email or whatever, just have some social interaction with another person. Even if you don’t say much, listen to them. It helps.
Cuddle your pets if you have them/can cuddle them.
Take pictures of them. Talk to them. Tell them how you feel, about your favorite movie, a new game coming out, anything.
May seem small or silly to some, but this list keeps people alive.
Sunday, January 07, 2024
Abortion statistics, 2023
What looks like job growth isn't really
Friday, January 05, 2024
19,000 college students meet to praise God
Aging well research was ignored during Covid longdown
"Close relationships, more than money or fame, are what keep people happy throughout their lives, the study revealed. Those ties protect people from life’s discontents, help to delay mental and physical decline, and are better predictors of long and happy lives than social class, IQ, or even genes. That finding proved true across the board among both the Harvard men and the inner-city participants."
Thursday, January 04, 2024
Why do Democrats vote against our country?
personal responsibility,merit,Judeo-Christian values,respect for talent,self-esteem based on work and skills instead of race,true biology and science,responsible journalism,borders that protect us and not the crossers,honest elections,universities that educate instead of indoctrinating,and two sexes.
Wednesday, January 03, 2024
Irregular relationships and Pope Francis
"The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued the Declaration Fiducia Supplicans (FS), which says it’s possible to give “non-liturgical blessings” to people in “irregular relationships” (divorced and remarried, living together, same-“couples"), on December 18, 2023. The very next day, a photograph of Fr. James Martin, S.J. blessing a same-sex “couple,” who had been civilly married some time earlier, appeared in the New York Times, though the document had warned against that kind of public attention. Ten days later, Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie, who “identifies as Catholic” and was once a stout defender of marriage, cited FS for his shift to supporting same-sex marriage, saying “even the Church is changing.” "
I don't even know the meaning of several of the English words in this paragraph let alone the Latin! But even as a Lutheran from an anabaptist background I could have told you what the press and liberal Christians would do with it. The same as I knew what legal medical marijuana would do to the market for legal recreational gateway drugs.
Straightening up after credit fraud
We're trying to straighten out an ID/credit fraud, so yesterday we had cancelled our credit card, but it was a recording, and I decided I'd like to check with a live person. I waited until 1 p.m. thinking today's young [anyone under 55] professionals all do lunch at the same time. When I got there only 1 teller was at the window, and a number of retirees waiting. He explained to the line that some people called in sick and everyone else was at lunch (I saw about 5 empty offices from where I'm standing).
Someone wanders in from the back room to assist me, very casually dressed. Not even supermarket cashier level. I give him my ID and credit cards and explain the problem and asked him to check if indeed the account was closed. He goes to the back room (seems the upfront computers only do math) and comes back a few minutes later and says it wasn't cancelled and hands them back to me with no explanation. So I asked him to do it. He disappears again, comes back a few minutes later and says he can't do it. Someone else has to. When I ask who? He disappears again. Comes back. Someone can see you at 3 p.m. he says. I'll come back, I said, who do I see? He disappears again. Comes back and gives me a name. Where do I see her, I ask. and he waves his arm to the east. The other teller then gives better directions. And I return to the parking lot.
We do not bank there--they just do the credit stuff. We did Phil's banking there, but closed it after he died. My husband claims he's always had wonderful service there, but hadn't been inside since 2020.
Earlier in the morning I'd been to a branch of our bank to make sure they could flag anything unusual, since by this time our life history has been sold to the dark web. A very young [under 35] man, pleasant and eager to help, assisted us. He knew zip, nada, zilch. I explained how the bank handled it when my purse had been stolen in another county, smaller and tourist area. We don't do that anymore, he said (I doubt that, but big cities probably never did). He too was dressed very casually--a natty sweatshirt with the bank logo.
Monday, January 01, 2024
The January 1 whirlwind
The Year by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
What can be said in New Year rhymes,
That's not been said a thousand times?
The new years come, the old years go,
We know we dream, we dream we know.
We rise up laughing with the light,
We lie down weeping with the night.
We hug the world until it stings,
We curse it then and sigh for wings.
We live, we love, we woo, we wed,
We wreathe our brides, we sheet our dead.
We laugh, we weep, we hope, we fear,
And that's the burden of the year.